DEI instructor and consultant

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a DEI instructor and consultant in my own company. DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. I provide training and advice that help organisations to promote these values in their work communities and to boost their success.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

My mother is Finnish and my father Malaysian, which means that I come from a multicultural family. Because of my background, I have always been interested in cultures and religions, and in addition to Finland, I have also lived and worked in Malaysia, Germany and France. Diversity, equity, and inclusion have always been important values to me.

During my career, I have worked in development and training tasks involving personnel of a wide variety of organisations. I my latest assignment I was able to take a more in-depth approach to the DEI theme, which I immediately embraced. I became an entrepreneur because I wanted to focus more on this topic.

Describe your typical working day or week.

During a typical working week, I am in contact with my customers to set the dates for future training sessions, and agree on their practical arrangements and contents. Consultancy is the most time-consuming part of my work because it requires background research and investigations. During a period of one month, I usually have three or four training sessions, either face-to-face in the customer’s premises or as remote events. I am also looking for new customers, which means that I spend a lot of time on marketing on social media, and I write blogs and articles.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work mostly at home, and the meetings and training sessions are usually held in the customers’ premises.

I am an entrepreneur, which means that I have flexible working hours. I usually work between 20 and 40 hours each week.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

Patience is required in this job but as you gain experience, it becomes easier to handle challenging situations.

Entrepreneur’s work is quite diverse, which I only realised after I had accumulated experience as an entrepreneur. In addition to mastering DEI and training competence, I also have to manage sales and marketing tasks and know a lot about a company’s finances. Being an entrepreneur gives you freedom but you are also responsible for your own success.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best thing about a DEI instructor’s work is that you get better understanding of different people and diversity. At the same time, it provides constant opportunities to expand your own and other people’s perspectives and to question your own thinking and prejudices.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

In this work, you have to put up with resistance and criticism. Moreover, as an entrepreneur, you are responsible for your own success, which means that you have to work hard.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of an instructor or consultant?

For those considering the career of an entrepreneur, I would say that you should think carefully what you want. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely job if you are not a member of any community or if you do not meet customers on a regular basis. At the same time, as an entrepreneur you are free to do things that you think are meaningful.

To those who want to become a DEI consultant or instructor, I would say that even though you can face challenges and suspicions in the work, the work is nevertheless highly meaningful and rewarding.

How do you see the future of your profession?

I believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion will take on a more important and central role in the future even though there is currently strong resistance to it in some countries.